Dialogues of the Carmelites in English / Francis Poulenc

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF MUSIC
C OPERA DIVISION

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IN ENGLISH

MARCH 76,1415 1980
O PM
~ MacMILLAN THEATRE
Edward Johnson Building

DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES*

THE OPERA DIVISION

presents

by

/

Francis Poulenc

Revised English version by Joseph Machlis

Conductor

Director

Scenic and Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

THE MARQUIS DE LA FORCE

BLANCHE, his daughter
(Sister Blanche of the Agony
of Christ)

THE CHEVALIER, his son

MADAME DE CROISSY, prioress
of the Carmelite Convent

MADAME LIDOINE, the new
Prioress

MOTHER MARIE OF THE INCARNATION

Assistant Prioress

SISTER CONSTANCE OF ST. DENIS

A novice

MOTHER JEANNE, Dean of the

Community
SISTER MATHILDE

THE FATHER CONFESSOR
OF THE CONVENT

James Craig (March 7, 14)
Michael Evans (March 8, 15)

Constance Fisher
Elsie Sawchuk

Michael Whitfield

CAST
March 7, 14

Paul Massel
Frances Ginzer

James McLean
(March 7, 15)

Laetitia Snethen
Laurie Bassett
Janet Coates**
(March 7, 15)
Shawna Farrell
Kristine Anderson
Donna Hurst

Robert Missen
(March 7, 15)

March 8, 15

Ross Thompson
Joanne Kolomyjec

Michael Shust
(March 8, 14)

Lilian Kilianski
Marianne Freeman
Lynn West

(March 8, 14)

Lee Ryan

Donna Hurst
Kristine Anderson

James McLean
(March 8, 14)

* By permission of the Publishers and Copyright Owners G. Ricordi & Co. (Milano) Ltd.
Text of the drama by Georges Bernanos, adapted to a lyric opera with the authorization
of Emmet Lavery; the drama inspired by a novel of Gertrud von le Fort and by a scenerio
of Rev. Father Bruckberger and Philippe Agostini.

** Graduate

MOTHER
SISTER
SISTER
SISTER
SISTER
SISTER
SISTER
SISTER
SISTER
SISTER MARTHA
SISTER ST. CHARLES
lst COMMISSIONER

GERALD

CLAIRE

ANTOINE

CATHERINE
PELTCELY.

GERTRUDE

ALICE

VALENTINE

ANNE OF THE CROSS

2nd COMMISSIONER
OFFICER

JAILER

THIERRY, a servant
M. JAVELINOT,

a physician

The
The
The
The

ACT 1

The
The
The
The
The

ACT 11

The
The
The
The

ACT 111

Cristen Gregory
Martha Collins
Mary-Jo Masterson
Beverley Bell
Margot Sim
Dianne Parke
Mary Peterson
Tania Parrish
Corinne Avers
Carolyn Hart
Brenda Luka

Robert Missen
(March 8)

Ross Driedger
Daniel Neff
Timothy Cruickshank

David Fawcett
(March 7, 14,

Thomas Goerz

15)

Timothy Cruickshank
Gregory Cross

Ross Driedger Thomas Goerz

Daniel Neff Gregory Cross

THE DIALOGUES

Library of the Marquis de la Force
Parlor of the Carmelite Convent
Workroom

Infirmary

Cloisters
Chapter Room
Cloisters
Parlor
Sacristy

Chapel

Cloisters

Library of the Marquis de la Force
Prison

A Street x
Place de la Revolution

The action takes place in

and near Paris between the years 1789 and 1794.

There will be two fifteen minute intermissions

THE OPERA DIVISION GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE ASSISTANCE OF SISTER BARBARA
IANNI OF THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH, REV: BONIFACE MALOWANY O.S.B.M. AND
THE CARMELITE ORDER AT CARMEL HEIGHTS, MISSISSAUGA.

THE STORY
Based on the historic event of 1794, when sixteen nuns of the Carmelite Congregation of
Compiegne were guillotined by the French Revolutionaries, the story revolves mainly
around Blanche de la Force, daughter of Marquis de la Force, who, because of her chronic
fear, seeks refuge in the convent as a Carmelite nun. The transformation of Blanche
from the timid and periodically hysterical young girl of the first Act, into the calm
and almost radiant martyr of the final scene, forms the core of the drama. Her spiritual
development is strongly influenced by her companions in the convent; the unique affinity
she has for the old Prioress, the naive faith of the novice Constance and the spiritual

strength of Mother Marie.

ACT 1 - Conscious of his sister's exceeding sensitivity, the Chevalier worries about her
delayed return from an outing. His fears remind the Marquis of the events surrounding
the birth of his daughter Blanche. Blanche arrives visibly shaken, her carriage

having been blocked by revolutionaries. Later, frightened by a servant drawing the
curtains in her room, she returns to the library to ask her father's permission to enter
the Carmelite Order. In an interview with the Prioress, Blanche feels encouraged and
strengthened. The old nun, in spite of sensing Blanche's weakness, feels a strong
attachment to her. At work Blanche and another novice, Constance talk of fear

and death. Blanche is unnerved by the simple faith and confidence of the voung Constance.
When the old Prioress dies in agony and fear, Blanche's own obsessions increase.

ACT 11 - Constance reveals to Blanche her conviction that the old Prioress took upon
herself the agonizing ''death of another" and that because of this someone will find

death ''easy and comfortable."' Swearing obedience to the new Prioress, Mme. Lidoine, the
community prays for courage during the difficult times ahead. The Chevalier arrives to
take Blanche out of the convent to care for their father. She refuses to leave her present
safety. The persecution of the Church by the revolutionary forces increases. As the
Priest completes his final mass, the Commissioners arrive to announce the expulsion of the
nuns from the convent. The new Prioress escapes to Paris to consult with her superiors

as Mother Jeanne attempts to comfort the distraught Blanche.

ACT 111 - In the absence of the Prioress, Mother Marie influences the community to take
the vow of martyrdom, After taking the vow, Blanche flees from the convent. As the nuns
leave the convent an officer warns them against any organized religious activities. Mother
Marie finds Blanche back in her own home working as a servant. She orders her to return

to the other sisters who are living in small communities and continuing their religious
life. Blanche, more fearful than ever, refuses to go. The nuns are arrested and
imprisoned. As the Prioress offers them words of comfort a jailor enters to announce that
they will be executed the following day. The Priest informs Mother Marie of the fate of
the sisters but prevents her from returning to die with them; her martyrdom is to remain
alive. As the nuns mount the scaffold Blanche finds the courage to join her sisters.

DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES
ee ER ARMELITES

Dialogues of the Carmelites received its world premiére (in Italian

translation) at La Scala on January 26, 1957. The Paris premiére
followed in June and the opera quickly achieved a firm international
reputation, the first and still the only French opera since Ravel's

L'Enfant et les Sortiléges (1925) to do so.

The Italian publisher Ricordi had commissioned a ballet from Poulenc.
He was unenthusiastic and Proposed an opera instead. The director of
Ricordi, Valcaranghi, himself Suggested a subject: Bernanos' play
Dialogues des Carmélites. Though Poulenc had seen the play twice

he was unsure of its Suitability for setting to music. Coming across

a copy in a bookshop window he opened it, at random, to the £ITSit
speech of the Old Prioress. "Incredible as it may seem," he wrote,

"I found immediately the melodic sweep of this long answer." Making
his own cuts in the play, Poulenc occupied himself over the next three
years with the composition of this, his only full-length serious opera.

Those familiar with Poulenc's work, sacred or profane, will find his
unmistakable imprint everywhere in Dialogues. He saw no virtue in
Originality per se, indeed he proudly acknowledged the profound
influence of a rich musical heritage. This score is dedicated to
Debussy, Moussorgsky and Verdi, but a dozen other names might easily
be substituted. The aristocratic Mother Marie, for example, is
identified by a courtly motif suggesting a Lullian Sarabande. The
New Prioress' prison scene is a consoling and serene Bachian
Cantilena. Blanche de la Force, approaching the Old Prioress' death-
bed for the second time, elicits an orchestral melody that Puccini
would have prized. An ostinato modified from Stravinsky accompanies
the Old Prioress' death and underpins the entire closing scene of the
Opera. Yet these and many other examples are at once the glories of
the score and the most idiomatic Poulenc. "He laid eggs like a
cuckoo in every nest but his own," writes Ned Rorem, "yet every
nestling warbled pure Francis."

Poulenc's life-time friend and colleague, Pierre Bernac, attests to his
humanity and Simplicity; the very qualities that are the musical heart
of the Dialogues. It is Poulenc's compassion that enables these
Carmelite nuns to reach out and touch us.

VIOLIN I

Paul Thompson (Concert Master)
Angelo Calcafuoco

Mark Wells

Pauline Salesse

Suzanne Begin

Douglas Brierley

Allyson Lyne

Samuel Ho

Ken Mizumoto

Martha Campbell

VIOLIN II

Marc Destrube*
Norman Hathaway
Toni Stanick
Veronica Moloney
Donna Mazur

Luigi Baccin
Roderick MacDonald
Patricia Kuschak

VIOLA

Charmain Louis*
Kathleen Hogan
Ronald Hay
Claudio Vena

Mary Carol Nugent
Catherine Whelan

VIOLONCELLO

Perry Foster*
Derek Gomez
Jonathan Ingham
Stephen Buck
Maurizio Baccante
Patricia Pulliam

ORCHESTRA

DOUBLE BASS

John D. Taylor*
David Longenecker
Brian Quebec
James Vivian

Paul Rogers

FLUTE

Susan Karpo*
Laurel Trainor
Lynne Piening (Piccolo)

OBOE

David Sussman*
Tina Levy

ENGLISH HORN
Catherine Calderone

CLARINET

Joseph Orlowski*
Catherine Picket
Greg James (Bass

Clarinet)

BASSOON

James Jamieson*

Margaret Hooper

Heather Chesley
(Contrabassoon)

HORN

Bonnie Worthen*
Diane Fair

Carol Dennison
Duncan Brinsmead

Donna Bennett, Norman Brown, David Campbell,

TRUMPET

Robert Venables*
Elspeth Carruthers
Daniel Warren

TROMBONE

Michael Newnham*
Stephen Fralick

Leon Racine

TUBA

Douglas Burrell

TIMPANI
David Campion

PERCUSSION

Kenneth Erskine
John Mele

HARP

Gianetta Baril
Nora Bumanis

PIANO/CELESTE
Dean Bradshaw

*Principal

Orchestra Manager/
Carol Dennison

Alan Derr,
Joanne Jaluvka,

Robert Pilon, Debra Selig, Blaine Sharpe, Jane Smiley,

CHORUS :
Susan Fenton, Judy Garich, Brenda Holloway,
Lisa Sullivan, Patrick Timney,

SUPERS: Hugh Conacher, Raymond Dionne,

Hereward Pooley, Philip Price,

Lenard Whiting, Anne Yardley.

Jason Leonard, John McKeown,
Walter Scherzer, Eric Tatrallyay.

OPERA DIVSION
Co-crdinator, Constance Fisher

MUSICAL DIRECTOR
MUSICAL STAFF

James Craig
George Brough

Rehearsal Pianist/Assistant Conductor

STAGE DIRECTORS Michael Albano

TECHNICAL STAFF

Technical Director

Assistant to the Technical Director
Master Carpenter

Carpenters

Scenic Artist

Properties

Furniture

PRODUCTION STAFF

Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Managers
Wardrobe Mistress
Cutter/Seamstress
Seamstresses

Make-up Supervisor
Make-up Assistants

Hairdressing and Wigs

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Administrator
Music Co-ordinator

Michael Evans Stephen Ralls

David Boothroyd

Constance Fisher Leon Major

Fred Perruzza

Richard Clarke

Blaine Rittinger A
Tain McLean, Mike Comeau
Kim Sisson

Suzanne Hodson, Suzanne Johns ton
Ludwig Seiler

James Livingstone**

Susan Hendersont John Bobre1t
Diane McCann

Elizabeth LeMoine
Isabelle Kaczmarek
Lorraine O'Leary

Jack Medhurst
Jeanne Armstrong, Manuela Cezanne
Carmen Rukavina

Martha Gleason

Lynn Slotkin
Michael Albano

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND CREDITS

Canadian Opera Company, Canadian Opera Women's Committee, The Rotary
Club of Toronto (Armour Heights), Canadian Opera Guild (Peel Branch),

Canadian Opera Guild (Oakville Branch),
Jim Yates, Warren Hughes, Costume House,

Ceramics Department, Robert Grenier,
Tricia Bentley, Dennis Patrick.

Toronto Musician's Association,
Jim Louie, George Brown College

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.

A By Permission of Canadian Actor's Equity Association,
t In CO-Operation with Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.

LAST YEAR THE FACULTY OF MUSIC ASKED ITS MANY FRIENDS FOR SUPPORT
OF ITS ACTIVITIES, THE RESPONSE TO THIS PLEA WAS GRATIFYING AND
THE FACULTY THANKS YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS. OF THE
MANY CHALLENGES STILL FACING US, THE MOST TROUBLESOME IS THE NEED
TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL AID TO THOSE STUDENTS WHOSE RESOURCES ARE
LIMITED, IF YOU WISH TO HELP, WE WOULD BE PLEASED TO DEPOSIT
YOUR CONTRIBUTION IN OUR SCHOLARSHIP AND BURSARY FUND. PLEASE
MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO: .

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF MUSIC
A RECEIPT SUITABLE FOR TAX PURPOSES WILL BE PROVIDED.

Gustav Ciamaga, Dean

RKKRKKEE

NEXT OPERA EVENT: .
Opera excerpts, May 22, Di 27, “291.5, 1980, 8:00 p.m.

’ MacMillan Theatre. .

Unreserved tickets available from the Box Office from 5:00 p-m.
on the evening of each performance. Tickets are $2.00 each.

NEXT EVENTS: /
Thursday Afternoon Series, Recital: Collegium Musicum.
March 20, 1980, 2:10 p-m. Walter Hall.

Faculty of Music Jazz Ensemble, March 22, 1980, 8:00 p.m.
MacMillan Theatre. § :

Box Office: 978-3744